Meet Your Merchant | Animal lovers offer in-house pet sitting

The sitters at Incline Pet Care consider themselves animal lovers, and they all agree they couldn’t imagine life without a pet. From left, Sharon Langdon and her dog Carson; Leni Grant with her dog Charlie; along with Brittany Vidal, Rebecca Taylor, Candace Healy, Bill Healy and Daisy and Debi Cuttler.

“Keeping a close eye to make sure Fluffy finishes her dinner may be a challenge, but in this environment, we can make sure to be there,” Candace said.

Incline Pet Care charges not by the number of pets in a household, but by the amount of time a sitter spends at the home. Bill said each sitter is sure to make use of that time, caring for both the pet and the house.

“We want to know where the towels are to clean their feet if it’s muddy,” he said. “We’re not just looking after their pets, we’re looking after their house, plants, mail.”

Medical research over the last 25 years has continually proven the health benefits of having a pet. Keeping furry friends around is said to lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and even boost the immune system.

“Pets bring warmth to a home — everybody in the family can bond over a pet,” Candace said.

Pets have also proven beneficial for people with Alzheimer’s, and Candace said many clients who are widowed also enjoy having the company.

“Having something to care for, to talk to and having something that needs you is really important,” she said.

Debi Cuttler moved to the area and began sitting for Incline Pet Care three years ago. The flexibility of the job and the daily bonding with animals make each workday enjoyable, she said.

“When I walk in the house I either get a purr or a tail wag, and that’s the best,” Debi said.

Debi, Candace and Bill said they’ve all learned valuable lessons from caring for pets. Candace said compassion is a quality she sees in animals that she tries to exhibit in her own life.

“I’ll walk in and that cat or that dog is just happy I’m there,” she said. “I truly think it’s taught me to be a more compassionate person with animals and with people.”

Incline Pet Care is a licensed, bonded and insured company, and each sitter is Red Cross-certified for treating cats and dogs.

To offer more education to clients, Incline Pet Care will host a Red Cross certification course next month. The course will teach pet owners how to give first response care in a health emergency.